


Truth Be Told

by ANGSWIN



Series: Sherlock's Rose [4]
Category: Doctor Who, Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Angst, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Pete's World, Pete's World Torchwood, Romance, Roselock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-08-11 07:30:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7882276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ANGSWIN/pseuds/ANGSWIN
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose decides that it is time to tell Sherlock the secrets of her past.  However, he also surprises her with a few of his own!  Will they be able to move forward? </p><p>This is Part 4 of my "Sherlock's Rose" series.<br/>This story is also compatible with Parts 1 & 2 of my “Torchwood Rose” series (but NOT Part 3!).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting Mrs. Hudson

**Author's Note:**

> [](https://postimages.org/)

Rose knocked on the door to 221B Baker Street and an older woman answered the door.  “Ah, Mrs. Hudson, I presume?” she exclaimed delightedly. 

“Well, yes, dear.  Are you a client?” Mrs. Hudson looked at the smiling young woman in the door and wondered what such a pretty girl was doing there.

“Oh no,” replied Rose amused.  “I am here to see Sherlock.  We are going out for dinner.  I guess he didn’t tell you.” She shook her head, but she wasn’t really surprised.

“You’re here to have dinner with Sherlock? Really?” Mrs. Hudson sounded amazed.  “Well then, please come in.  You can go on up, but I have no idea what he is doing up there.  He has been so quiet for the past few days.  No gunshots, explosions, or even violin music.”

“Sounds like the model tenant, then,” laughed Rose.

“Oh yes!” replied Mrs. Hudson. “Quite unlike the normal!” They both laughed again.

“By the way, I’m Rose.” She said smiling and holding out her hand.  Ms. Hudson took it and gave it a squeeze.

“Oh, so _you_ are Rose.   _The_ Rose Tyler?  John was asking about you.  Have you two met?”

“Oh, yes!  The three of us had dinner last week after working on a case together,” replied Rose.  It wasn’t _exactly_ the truth, but she didn’t know any other way to explain it.

“Are you a detective, too, dear?”

“Sometimes…sort of.” She shrugged.  “It’s a bit complicated, Mrs. Hudson.”

“Of course it is, if it involves Sherlock and John, my dear!”  Mrs. Hudson laughed and Rose smiled widely in agreement.

“And please call me Martha.” said the landlady fondly, smiling back, and gestured for Rose to go on up.  She stood there watching for a moment and just wondered what was going on.  Sherlock didn’t have dinner dates or dates of any kind, really – or he never used to, before. Rose seemed like such a nice girl, though.  Wouldn’t it be something if she and Sherlock could get together?  He really needed somebody to watch out after him, especially since John was married now with a baby on the way!  Was it even possible, though? Did he even like girls?  Mrs. Hudson shrugged and went back to her flat.  She left the door open, though, so she could see them when they came back down. Her question was answered about twenty minutes later when they came back down the stairs together, smiling, and holding hands.  They looked happy.  She waved at them from her flat and Rose waved back.  “Good for you, Sherlock,” she said to herself after the door shut behind them.

 

 


	2. Dinner

Sherlock glanced happily over at Rose. He had not seen her since the night, over a week before, when she had spent the night at his flat after their dinner with John. After the “Hello” text the next morning, they had made plans to get together for dinner. However, her field team had been called to Cardiff (What was it about Cardiff? he wondered, making it a point to remember to ask her later) that same night and she had been there all week. She had just come back late last night. They had exchanged a few texts while she had been gone, but that was all. He had worked on a few minor cases to keep busy, and had gone to dinner with John one night, but mainly he had missed her. That made him feel out of sorts. Then, she had walked into his flat a little while ago, and smiled at him from across the room. It was as if the sun had come out from behind the clouds. He kissed her gently in welcome (which had surprised them both) and his universe steadied itself again. Then he took a moment just to look at her. She looked tired and a little thin, as if she had been running hard all week (and knowing her, she probably had!) When he asked about it, she promised to tell him later, and he decided to leave it at that. He just knew that she needed some food and rest, in that order, and that he would make sure that she got it.

Rose was happy to be back home and she was even happier to be back with Sherlock. They had left things in an uncertain, but optimistic place, when she got called away to Cardiff last week and she was eager to pick up where they had left off. She suggested that they go to a “real” restaurant for once since they had only had fish and chips together before. He suggested Angelo’s and caught them a cab. Rose snuggled up to him on the ride to the restaurant and asked him to tell her about the cases that he had worked on during the past week. He told her about the missing person (just a cheating husband), the stolen artwork (insurance fraud), and the kidnapping (runaway teenager). They had all been unfulfilling cases, but they had served to help the time go by while Rose was gone.  
~~~~~  
Angelo was delighted to see Sherlock again, even if he seemed a bit confused to see him there with a woman. This caused Sherlock to blush and Rose to smirk in amusement. He brought them a candle anyway, though, and they ended up having a lovely dinner. Not only was the food delicious, but they enjoyed studying their fellow diners and making observations about them. Sherlock was quite impressed with her insight. In fact, he would even go so far as to say that she was second only to him and his brother in the accuracy of her observations. He guessed that studying alien species made her more adept at studying her own. After dinner, remembering that she needed to rest, Sherlock suggested that they go to her flat instead of his. That really surprised her! He had never been to her place before. She had no objections, but she knew that he would prefer to be at Baker Street. Then she realized that while he was trying to be considerate, he was also probably trying to learn more about her, as well. Her flat was an obvious place to do that. That’s what she got for dating a detective, she thought. He was obviously making an effort, though, and she appreciated it. It meant that he was taking things seriously. Well, as seriously as Sherlock Holmes could, anyways.


	3. Her Flat

Rose had the cab drop them off at the guard house. Instead of choosing an expensive flat in the city, she had chosen to live in Torchwood housing - which was set up to embrace the “unique” lifestyles of the people that lived there. Employees often brought their “work” home with them and they sometimes had “visitors,” as well. Therefore, security had to be tight. Most of the residents liked this, because they were living in probably the safest flats in all of London, but it could take some getting use to. Rose sincerely hoped that Sherlock would be a regular visitor. Therefore, she had Nick, the guard on duty, whom she had greeted by name and with a big smile, to provide him with a pass and to put his name on the Frequent Visitor’s list (which meant that they wouldn’t have to call her to get her approval every time he visited). This also required his photo to be taken and placed in a computer file. Whenever he came to visit her on his own, his pass would be scanned, his photo and ID would be checked, and his name would be entered into the visitor’s log. She asked Sherlock if he would be okay with all of that, and he just shrugged. She shook her head in amusement, and told him it would probably be easier than trying to climb over the gate to bypass security, just to come and see her. Plus, he wouldn’t get shot! He knew that she was only half-joking because he remembered that he was on Torchwood property. He studied the guard closely and realized that beneath the casual exterior, he was definitely military trained and that he was discretely armed.

Once they left the guard house, Nick had to buzz them in through the gate. They walked down the path to her building and she entered the necessary code to let them in. They took the lift (which also required a code, as did the doors to the stairs) up to the fifth (and top) floor where she lived. Each apartment also required a passcode to enter. She lived down the hall at 501 (in a slightly larger and slightly quieter corner unit). Rose knew that Sherlock’s natural detecting skills would kick in and that he would want to have a look around anyways, so she left him to it while she excused herself to the loo.

She was right, of course. Sherlock did look around – and came to a few conclusions in the process. The flat itself was simple, but well furnished in dark wood and rich colors. However, it still had the look of a place whose tenant spent just as much time away from home as she did in it. Everything was kept clean, simple, and neutral – almost as if she expected to leave one day and just never return. Sherlock frowned at that idea, but kept looking. The front half of the flat was the open concept lounge, kitchen, and dining area. There was a kettle on the stove, but other than that, the kitchen didn’t look like it was used much. He made a deduction and opened the drawer nearest the fridge, and yes, it was full of takeout menus. That made sense, though. With Rose’s schedule, she wouldn’t have time to cook much and since she could be called away at a moment’s notice, then she probably didn’t keep the kitchen stocked with anything but the nonperishable basics. Her life was very similar to his in that way. The bedroom was behind the lounge and it was exactly that – a room with a bed in it that was sometimes slept in. It looked comfortable enough, though. There was a smaller second bedroom that obviously functioned as an office most of the time, but also had what looked like a Murphy bed in the wall. However, strangely enough, the bookcase in that room also contained several children’s books, as well as some dinosaur and truck toys that looked like they had been played with frequently. He wondered about the story behind that, since he had seen no evidence of children in Rose’s life. Whoever they belonged to obviously did not live here, just visited, so Sherlock deduced that it must be a young family member or the child of a friend. He kept going. The bathroom was located between the two bedrooms. He didn’t look in there yet, though, because it was still occupied by Rose. That was it for the flat, though. It seemed to be basically a place to stay in between adventures, but not much more than that.

He noticed that there were very few personal items scattered around the flat. The mantel in the lounge was the only exception. There were lots of pictures there. Sherlock, suddenly interested, looked closer. There was a large recent family portrait in the center with Rose (looking lovely, as usual) surrounded by an older man and woman (obviously her parents) and a young boy (Rose’s much younger brother judging by the resemblance). That explained the children’s items in the guest room, he thought. Sherlock moved on with interest to the other photographs. They seemed to be placed with some significance since there were only three on the left hand side, but several more than that on the right. The three on the left were all of a younger looking Rose, looking extremely happy, with a different man in each picture. In the first one, she had long hair and was holding onto the arm of a man wearing a leather jacket. He had dark close cropped hair and rather large ears. She was looking up at him with her head on his shoulder. He was gazing down at her, and they both had huge grins on their faces. Sherlock felt a tug at his heart as he realized that this was someone Rose had obviously loved, but apparently lost, since the picture had apparently been taken a long time ago, and there was no further evidence of him in the room.

The next photograph showed Rose again at about the same age, with the same hairstyle, but this time she was with an extremely handsome man wearing, for some reason, what appeared to be long vintage RAF coat from WWII. He had his arm around her and they were laughing together in what seemed to be a market place. They were obviously fond of each other, but Sherlock didn’t get that complete sense of love and devotion that he had from the first picture.

That feeling was back in the third picture, though. A slightly older Rose with shorter hair was holding hands with a slim good-looking man with wildly styled hair who was wearing a pinstriped suit and a long jacket. They were standing in front of what appeared to be a vintage Police Box from the 60’s. They were looking at each other with the same look that he had seen in the first picture. Another lost love, then. He guessed that this explained Rose’s cryptic comment in the chippie that day when she said that she had to grow up a lot since she was nineteen – if she had loved and lost multiple times from such a young age. He looked at the Rose in the first photograph again. Yes, she looked like she was about nineteen or twenty there. Interesting…He wondered what had happened to the men since he couldn’t imagine anyone ever voluntarily wanting to leave Rose.

Strangely, enough there was also a key on a neck chain draped over the edge of the third picture. It wasn’t a car key and it didn’t seem to be the key to a flat or house. However, judging from the state of the chain, it had obviously been worn constantly for what seemed to be years. It was significant then, but why, he wondered? He then looked over to the set of photographs on the other side of the portrait, but didn’t find them nearly as fascinating. There were mainly group photos of Rose and her work friends, Sherlock deduced, based on the fact that in some of the pictures they were all dressed in the standard black field clothes that he had seen both her and her colleagues wear. Also, he saw several recurring faces, like a handsome dark-skinned man and a boisterous looking ginger woman, in several of the photos. He recognized Jamie and Jake in a couple of them, as well. There was also one that looked like it was taken in the local pub, and he saw that Molly was in that one. He noticed that there were no “couple” pictures of Rose on this side, though. What did that mean? He shrugged and went back to look at the photos on the other side again.


	4. Explanations

 

Sherlock was so intent on studying the photographs on the mantle, and trying to puzzle out their mysteries that he never heard Rose return to the room.  She stood there watching him for a minute, and then sat down on the sofa and resigned herself to answering the questions that she knew he was about to ask.  She didn’t know if she was ready, but she knew it was time, though.  It all needed to be explained before she and Sherlock got too serious – _if_ they got serious, she thought, because she still wasn’t sure how he felt.  She waited until he went back to look at the Doctor’s photos for the third time before she said something, though. “Looking back now,” she said softly, causing Sherlock to jump a little before he turned around surprised that she had entered and he had not noticed, “I know that he was my first real love - the first time that I understood what real love brings and the price that must be paid for it.” 

“Which one?” he asked curiously, but gently.  He was very glad to learn more about Rose Tyler but some part of him recognized that telling him this was something that would probably be upsetting for her.  He didn’t want to cause her pain if he could help it. 

“Both of him!” she said with a small bittersweet smile seeing his confusion at her wording.  “It’s…well…complicated!”   Of course it would be, he thought, nothing seemed simple around Rose. “This conversation requires tea,” she said standing up and heading over to the kitchen, “or perhaps even wine.  Which would you prefer?”

“Tea, I think, for now.”  He replied.  She nodded. 

“A clear head would probably be best.” she agreed and put the kettle on.  As she bustled around getting the tea supplies, he noticed the tension in the way she held her shoulders and knew that she was really not looking forward to this conversation.

“Rose, you don’t have to…” he started.  She surprised him by walking back to him, taking his face in her hands, and kissing him with feeling.  He pulled her close and returned the kiss for a moment until she pulled back from him gently.

“I do.” She said, resting her forehead against his. “It’s part of something that I have to tell you before _we_ can go any further.  I _really_ hope that it doesn’t make a difference to you, but it could very well be more than you can handle.”  With that cryptic comment she went back to making the tea.  Sherlock was confused, what could she possibly have to tell him about a past boyfriend (or two?) from several years ago, that would make a difference to what was happening between them now?  What could be so terrible about someone she loved and lost?  Terrible…or...strange?  Strange…or…alien?  Something clicked in Sherlock’s mind.

“He was the one!” he exclaimed.  “The _nonhuman_ friend that you traveled with before you worked for Torchwood - the one that taught you Venusian Aikido. You fell in love with him.”  He knew that he was right when Rose dropped the mug that she was holding and it crashed all over the kitchen floor – tea and all.

“How… could you possibly know that?” she said almost trembling with surprise – and dripping with tea from the knees downward.

“You told me.” He said simply and shrugged.  He came over to help her and bent down to pick up the broken mug pieces while she cleaned the tea off of the floor and the cabinets that had been splashed. 

She thought back and remembered the conversation.  It had happened on the street in front of Baker Street, right before that first intense heated moment…  “So I told you weeks ago that I used to travel with an alien...and you didn’t ask about that again? And now you know that I was in love with him… and that doesn’t freak you out?”  She asked in disbelief.

“Rose, you apparently don’t understand how incredible you are.” He took her hand.  “Every time I see you, I learn something new and _amazing_ about you.  Things that surprise me, but don’t really shock me now, because learning all of the astonishing things about you, is becoming the new norm for me.  Yes, I want to know more about _everything_ you tell me or show me.  I’m just afraid that there won’t be enough time left in our lifetimes for you to explain it all – there’s just too much.”  He smiled at her.  “Therefore, I file away all these little tidbits of information that I learn about you – like being the Vitex Heiress - into my mind palace, so I will remember it and can retrieve it if it comes up or seems important again.  I don’t ever want to forget anything about _you_.”

The emphasis he placed on the _you_ warmed her heart and boosted her confidence for the conversation that she knew they had to have next.  First, however…“Your _mind palace_?” she asked amused.  

“Stick with what is important here, Miss Tyler!”  he retorted with a half-smile.  “We should probably continue this conversation because I would definitely like to know more about all of this, but you might like to be _wearing_ less tea when we do so!”  Rose laughed at that, both with humor and relief, and went to change her clothes. 

He knew about the Doctor!  Well some of it, anyway, and he seemed to be… okay with it…so far… maybe.  He was so hard to read sometimes.  However, the conversation had been started.  The hardest part was yet to come, but at least it was started.  It was going to be a long night though, so she might as well make the most of it.  She changed into a comfortable cotton bra and t-shirt with a pair of sweatpants and she pulled her hair back in a ponytail. She wondered if he would still think she was _incredible_ , after seeing her in her off-duty-stay-at-home-and-veg clothes.  

 

 

 


	5. The Doctor

Chapter 5: The Doctor

While Rose was changing, Sherlock went back to look at the pictures again.  So he had been right.  He (Which one? “Both of _him_ ,” she had said- not both of _them_ \- What could that mean?) was an alien and she had been in love with him.  He had a feeling that this was going to be an interesting, but intense night of conversation.  She obviously had a lot to share with him and he felt _honored_ that she wanted to do so.   He sat down on the couch to wait.

~~~~~

Rose returned, looking much more casual and comfortable (but still gorgeous) and ready to talk.  “I hope that you aren’t in a hurry or have anywhere to go.” She said with nervous good humor and sat down next to him.  “This could take a while.”

“There is nowhere that I would rather be tonight!” he said, and he really meant it – even before she jumped into his lap and kissed him until they were both breathless.  This kissing thing was so…new, but he knew that he wanted it to continue.  There was nothing quite like the feel of Rose Tyler’s lips on his or of her body pressed up against his.  Both of which were happening right now, and his normally sharp-as-a-tack mind was feeling increasingly fuzzy for some reason.  

“Well, then, I guess I will need to make some more tea,” she said teasingly as she broke off the kiss and jumped off of the sofa – and he groaned in disappointment at the feeling of her body being removed from his. 

~~~~~

They both sat down with a fresh cup of tea, facing each other, before Rose jumped back up to get the 3 pictures (and the key) from the left side of the mantle and brought them over to the couch.  She arranged them in the correct order on the coffee table.  “It is important,” she said nodding.  “The first thing that you need to know, Sherlock, is that I want to tell you everything.  I don’t want to hold anything back from you.”  He squeezed her hand reassuringly and she smiled sadly.  “However, I know how logical you are. You need evidence to believe, and I just don’t have any proof for what I need to tell you tonight.  You will have to determine if I have shown you enough so far to trust me about the rest of it.  You also need to know that there are only a few people on this entire planet – No, in this entire universe - that know what I am going to tell you.  Therefore, not only do you need to trust me, but I need to be able to trust you, as well.  Therefore, I feel like I need to offer you the option to stop right here before we go any farther, if you don’t feel comfortable with dealing with this right now.”

“I want to know whatever it is that you want to tell me.  However, I would prefer to know it all.  I want to know everything about Rose Tyler!” Sherlock said.  He was trying to be supportive, but he didn’t want to deny his desire to _know_!  This time she squeezed his hand.    


“Be careful what you wish for.” Rose said faintly and then in a louder voice, “Well, in order to understand who I am, there are few things that you need to know.  The first thing you need to understand is that aliens exist.  While I am definitely human myself, aliens have pretty much been in the center of my life since I was nineteen.  However, you already passed that test with flying colors that night in the morgue.  Check!” She smiled briefly as she made a check sign in the air. 

“The next thing you need to know is that the first and most important alien that I ever met was a man named the Doctor.”  Here she paused and picked up the first picture of the man in the leather jacket and then she continued, “One night when I was nineteen, working in a shop, and extremely bored with life, the shop window dummies in the store basement started coming to life and he rescued me from them.  Then, he blew up my job to stop the transmitting signal that was giving them life.  I helped him to track down the source of that signal to the hostile alien, the Nestene Consciousness, who was trying to invade Earth.  I then saved the Doctor’s life in the process.  Together we stopped the alien and saved the world.  Then, he asked me to travel with him.  We went to so many places, had so many adventures together, fought so many enemies, and saved our planet (as well as others) so many times.  He taught me that there was a better way to live my life, and of course, I fell in love with him.  How could I not?  He fell in love with me, too, and eventually proved it by sacrificing his life for mine after I had saved his, again.” At this she paused, and Sherlock looked at her thoughtfully.  She was looking at the picture intently. 

Before he could say anything, however, she continued. “Believe it or not, though, our story wasn’t over yet.  In the linear year or so that we traveled together, he never found a way to tell me that his people had found a way to cheat death.  It was called regeneration.  Essentially, every cell in his body would die, but then he would become a new person in a new body.  He would change his appearance, his mannerisms, and his habits- but he would retain all of his memories and the essence of “himself.” Therefore, in front of my eyes, he burst into flames and changed from my sexy, older, brooding Doctor into my young, Pretty Boy, hyperactive Doctor.”  Rose paused here to put down the first picture and picked up the third picture of the man in the pinstriped suit.  She didn’t look at Sherlock.  She didn’t want to see the expression in his eyes, yet – especially if he didn’t believe her!  Then she continued, “They were so different, and it was tough at first, but I did eventually realize that they were the same man.  We continued to travel, have adventures, and save planets together for at least another year.”  Here she stopped and allowed her eyes to meet Sherlock’s.  “Therefore, yes, I loved an alien and traveled with him for years and that experience shaped my life more than anything else has before or since.”

Sherlock looked into her eyes and saw nothing but truth and concern there.  He knew he should be shocked, but everything she said (with the exception of the whole changing bodies thing) fit into the concept of what he already knew about her.  Logically, it made perfect sense that the woman who had devoted her life to aliens, did so because she had a deep relationship with one when she was younger. He nodded and then he realized that he still hadn’t said anything aloud to her, yet, and he could feel her nervous anticipation for his answer.  He took her hand and she could “feel” his calm belief before he finally said it.  He nodded and proceeded to tell her aloud what he had been thinking.  She smiled in gratitude, but then her eyes clouded over again. 


	6. Time

“The next one is tougher to understand,” she said, “it even took me awhile and I was right in the middle of it.”  She shook her head sadly.  “I really don’t think that you will believe it, but I hope that you can at least…consider it.” She stopped and looked back down at the picture in her lap again.  She also picked up the key as well.  She pointed to the Police Box in the background.  “That isn’t what it looks like.  She is the TARDIS: the Doctor’s ship, and she was my transport, my flat, and my friend for over two years.  This was the key to my home.” She placed the chain around her neck and stroked the key for a minute.  “I know that it sounds crazy, but she was sentient, transdimensional, and bigger on the inside. We had more room than we could ever use and she provided us with everything that we needed.”

“If it is a ship, then why does it look like a Police Box?” Sherlock couldn’t help but ask. He had a lot of questions, but that was the one he settled on first.   

“A broken Chameleon camouflage circuit,” Rose said with a smile, “apparently, it burned out once when he was visiting the 60’s and he never bothered to replace it.”

“Visiting the 60’s?” Sherlock asked confused.

“I should have known that was the part you would pick up on first.” Rose half-smiled nervously. “You see the TARDIS wasn’t just a space ship.  TARDIS stands for **T** ime **A** nd **R** elative **D** imensions **I** n **S** pace.  The Doctor’s species was Time Lord.  Once upon a time it was his people’s job to protect time.  Therefore, I didn’t just travel through space with the Doctor.  I traveled through time with him, as well. Since time is not a straight line, I have been able to hop back and forth among many time periods.  I have visited Charles Dickens in the past (where I almost died before I was even born) and the death of the Earth in the far future (where ironically I almost died long after I was already dead).” She paused and reluctantly looked at him for his reaction.  

Sherlock just stared at her.  This revelation stunned him. He could handle the concept of space travel, but time travel… that was something else!  Temporal physics was definitely not his field!   “I need…to think…about this.” He said quietly.  He saw her expression fall, but she nodded in understanding.

“Do you want to go?” she said quietly.

“No!” he looked at her puzzled.  Why would she think that? He looked at her closely and noticed that she was chewing her lower lip – with nervousness?  The woman whom he had recently seen face down an alien practically twice her size was nervous about him wanting to leave?  Oh!  He understood.  She was worried that he didn’t believe her.  He reached for her hand. “Rose, this is a lot for me to … process.  I just need to think.  I need to go to my mind palace.” He saw her lips twitch up a bit at that. “I just need some quiet time for a while. Like I did in the morgue, remember? But I will stay here – if you don’t mind?”

Her expression brightened, “Of course, I don’t mind.  Do you want to stay in here or would you rather go into the bedroom or office?”

“I’ll just stay here.” he said.  Before she could respond, he eyes were already closed and his fingers were steepled in front of his mouth.  She knew that he wouldn’t respond, even if she did say something, so she decided just to go lie down in the bedroom for awhile.  It had been a long week physically and a long night emotionally – and it wasn’t over yet.  She slipped her pants off, draped them over the back of the chair, climbed into bed, and was asleep within just a few minutes.

Meanwhile, Sherlock sat on her sofa, deep in thought.  He was a scientist, as well as a detective, and he needed evidence to back up his conclusions.  He knew that Rose wasn’t lying.  He had already seen enough with her to know that, and he was sure that he would see more.  Plus, even though he felt a bit guilty for doing so, he had been monitoring her closely during her explanations.  There were no physical signs to show that she had been purposely misleading him. Her breathing, eye contact, pulse rate, and even her swallowing patterns all worked together to show that she was completely in earnest in her belief of her information. However, this wasn’t really about her, it was about _him_ , he needed to find something, somewhere, soon to help him validate this information.  Not necessarily to prove it, just to validate its possibility.  Therefore, he rifled through his stores of information, all of his scientific knowledge, and finally found what he wanted: theories on time travel. He sorted through them until he felt that he could at least feel comfortable with the _possibility_ of the idea.  Then he shook himself free of his thoughts and came out of himself.  He frowned slightly as he saw the pictures that were still on the table in front of him.  He knew it wasn’t rational to be jealous of the past, but… how would he be able to compete with the Doctor – even the memory of the Doctor?  He gave Rose all of space, and apparently, of time, as well.  He wasn’t here _now_ , though.  Sherlock was – that was his advantage - and he would make the most of it.  He got up to find Rose and to tell her!

He checked in the office first, thinking she might be catching up on paperwork, but she wasn’t there.  The bedroom was the only place left, then.  He opened the door and saw her.  She was fast asleep.  He realized that he must have been in his mind palace longer than he thought and that she probably just couldn’t stay awake any longer.  He remembered how tired she had seemed earlier, and he was sure the tensions that she had felt all night made it even worse. He felt a bit guilty realizing that _he_ was the source of that tension.  She didn’t _have_ to tell him _any_ of this, but she chose to.  She just wanted him to know and understand her.  She didn’t even want anything in return from him – just his belief – or at least his willingness to believe in her.  He wondered why that was so important to her.  Why should she care what he thought?  He looked down at her.  She was gorgeous – curled on her side and hair spread out on her pillow.  He knew that she was tough, he had seen her fight, but she looked so vulnerable like this, too, though.  He wondered how long she had been on her own.  To whom had she turned for comfort after things had ended with the Doctor? How had that even happened?  She had basically told him that the Doctor couldn’t die, so something catastrophic must have happened to separate them.  Then it struck him.  “I’ve had to grow up a lot since I was nineteen.” That is what she said to him in the chippie on their lunch date.  Therefore, it was after losing the Doctor that she joined Torchwood, that she learned to fight, that she became the Defender of the Earth – it must have been her way of coping with the loss and moving forward.

He didn’t want to wake her up.  He knew that she needed her rest, but he wasn’t going to leave her alone tonight either.  He had a feeling that if she woke up in the morning and he wasn’t here, especially after her revelations, that she would think that he had rejected her. That couldn’t happen!  Not when he had realized that she was not merely interesting, as he had thought when he first met her, but that she was truly the most amazing person that he had ever met.  He couldn’t just let her go.  He had just decided that he would go crash on her couch until the morning, when her eyes fluttered open.  After a brief flicker of surprise, a concerned look crossed over her face and she asked gently, “Are you alright?” Sherlock was temporarily confused.  Why wouldn’t he be?  Then he realized that she didn’t know about all the things that he had thought about and decided in the last few hours.  Upon awakening, her first thoughts had been of concern – for him!  He reached up and tentatively touched her cheek, almost as if he was afraid that he wasn’t allowed.  “I’m fine. We will talk tomorrow,” he said looking her in the eye.  “You need your sleep now.”  She nodded and then surprised him with just one word.

“Stay.”


	7. Stay

“Stay.” she said and patted the bed next to her.  His eyes widened and his mouth went slack as he realized that she was asking him to get into the bed with her!  “To sleep, Sherlock” she said simply with a tiny giggle.  Then she turned over to face the wall, pulled up the covers a little, and left him to make the decision.  It didn’t take long for him to realize that holding Rose Tyler would be a fantastic way to spend the night.  He undressed quickly down to his tshirt and boxers, threw his clothes over the chair in the room, and slid into the bed next to her.  He realized, too late, when his leg touched hers, that she wasn’t wearing any pants either. He tensed. “Relax,” she whispered.  She reached back, grabbed his hand, and pulled his arm over her, and thereby, snuggling her back into his chest.  His heart pounded, but he rested his hand on her ribcage and tightened his grip as he felt her body slip into just the right position where they could rest comfortably together – closer than they had been before.  He sighed as he smelled her hair up against his cheek and, still marveling at where he was, he fell asleep.

Rose woke first, feeling better rested than she had in awhile.  She was still snuggled in Sherlock’s embrace and noticed with some amusement that his hand had slid up and was tucked beneath her breast.  She was momentarily sorry that she was still wearing her bra from the night before. The next thing that she noticed was that his very impressive morning erection was poking her in the bum.  She thought about all of the things that she could do about that, but then sighed and decided that it would probably be a good idea just to sneak out of bed first, so she wouldn’t embarrass him (or herself!).  She slid out of bed and quietly gathered some clothes.  She turned back to see Sherlock, asleep in her bed, and looking more relaxed than she had ever seen him before.  She smiled and exited the room to start her morning routine.

Sherlock woke soon afterwards, first noticing that he was alone in Rose’s bed, and then he became aware of his rather large morning problem.  He wondered first, if Rose had noticed and then, a little embarrassed, he wondered if she had been impressed.  He shook his head, and then listened for a moment.  He could hear her in the kitchen, so it would probably be safe to sneak into the bathroom.  He was suddenly grateful that there was a bathroom door in the bedroom, so he wouldn’t have to go out into the hallway – where she could see him from the kitchen.  He stopped, suddenly amused by the irony that he had once worn nothing but a sheet to Buckingham Palace, but was too embarrassed to be seen in his girlfriend’s hallway with tented boxers.  He was undressed and in the shower before he realized that he had used the word “girlfriend” to describe Rose to himself.  Is that what she was?  Would she like to be? He thought about it as he used the flannel, and some masculine toiletries, that she had set out for him earlier.  He briefly wondered about the toiletries, and felt a surge of jealousy, but then tried to convince himself that it didn’t matter.  Rose was a gorgeous and amazing woman.  Of course, she occasionally had men stay overnight.  All that mattered now, was that there would not be any more… other than him, of course - he hoped.  He just had to figure out a way to arrange things to work out that way.  

Rose heard Sherlock in her shower and smiled at the thought.  She had tried to repay his thoughtfulness from the night at his flat by laying out some supplies for him including some manly shampoo and shower soap, so he wouldn’t have to use her girly stuff.  She even laid out an electric razor since she noticed that he preferred to be clean shaven.  She always kept some things like that on hand because she never knew when a broken-hearted, in-the-doghouse, or just too-drunk-to-leave friend, team member, or even a “visitor” would need to stay over. She only hoped that this would not be the only time that he would get to use them!

She wondered if he preferred tea or coffee in the morning and set out supplies for both.  Then she made toast and eggs since that was basically all she had in the fridge.  In fact, she hoped that the milk was still good since she had been gone for a week –a quick sniff verified that it would do, but that she should pick up some more soon.  Then Sherlock made an appearance, with damp hair, but still wearing the clothes from yesterday, and she smiled at the sight.  “You know, for some reason I have a burgundy shirt here that might fit you.  It’s hanging in the bedroom closet if you want it.” She winked. 

He laughed at that and they made a little getting-to-know-each-other breakfast small talk about how they preferred their eggs (neither had a preference, so she just scrambled them) and whether they liked coffee or tea in the morning.  (Sherlock always had coffee in the morning, but could drink either it or tea throughout the day.  Rose could go with either in the morning, but only tea throughout the day.)  He offered to make them both coffee since she was cooking the eggs.  She was grateful and then impressed.  It was quite good coffee and he smiled when she told him so.  They ate at the little kitchen bar and then quickly cleaned up the few dirty dishes.  Then they made their way back to the sofa to pick up where they left off the night before.  Rose looked over at the pictures that were still on the coffee table, and looked back up at him. “So,” she said trying to sound casual, as if everything important didn’t hang on his answer, “time travel?”

“I'm still not _certain_ ,” he said, wanting to be honest, “but I am _willing_ to believe.”  Her smile lit up the room. 

 


	8. Jack & Cardiff

“Fantastic!” she exclaimed, “I can work with that! The stories that I can tell you now will be so much more exciting!”  She then picked up the picture of the third man and with a huge grin proceeded to tell Sherlock how she and the Doctor had met Captain Jack, the ex Time Agent turned con artist turned best friend and honorary brother, in the midst of the London Blitz.  (Well, that explains the coat, thought Sherlock.) Her smile grew even bigger when she explained that they had all traveled together for months, how jealous her Doctor had been at first, how flexible Jack was when it came to “dancing,” and how he would flirt with anyone, anytime, and anywhere! However, her smile completely disappeared and tears filled her eyes when she explained that they had lost him 200,000 years in the future – in the same battle (against the damn Daleks) where she had also lost her first Doctor.

Sherlock sat silently - again in awe of the woman in front of him – and of all that she had done and seen.  Before he could say anything, though, she continued.  “To change the subject slightly, the connection between time and space is coincidently why we have to spend so much time in Cardiff.  The city sits right on top of a giant rift where time and space intersect.  When time and space _rub_ together (She used her hands to illustrate what she was trying to say) it seems to cause energy flares.  Sometimes, other species are attracted to the rift during these flares because of its potential as a power source to recharge small ships and equipment, so we often have to make sure their visits go smoothly.  Also, the walls in the rift are weakened from time to time due to various temporal and spatial events.  When the walls are weak, and there is a corresponding energy flare, then other things can happen, as well.  Most of these things seem to be harmless. However, sometimes, strange phenomena (like unusual weather) and /or things that have been relocated from their time or place are thrown out of the rift into the middle of Cardiff.  Sometimes we get small items, like pieces of alien technology that need to be collected and examined before members of the public get a hold of them.  Our biggest problem seems to be the Weevils, though.  They look vaguely humanoid, but are completely animalistic.   We don’t know exactly where they come from, but for some reason they are the most frequent product of the rift flares.  Unfortunately, they are extremely dangerous and will kill the locals if they are not found and dispatched quickly.  Cardiff has a small permanent staff that has been trained to deal with them, but if there is a large incursion then another team has to go and help.  It’s a particularly nasty and unrewarding job with no hope of a happy ending.  The rift was particularly active this past week and that is why it took us so long to get back home.  There were many more Weevils than usual.” Rose sighed, closed her eyes, and leaned– silent – against the back of the sofa.  She hated dealing with the Weevils.  She was fully trained as a soldier, but some things never got easier to do.  Sherlock could see her distress and, based on the information that she had just given him, could guess its cause.  She had seen too much death in her young life.  It was especially hard on her when she was the one who caused it – even when it was necessary.  He wanted to comfort her, so he moved closer and wrapped his arm around her.  Apparently, that was the right thing to do because she buried her face in his chest and they just stayed like that for a while. 

Sherlock wasn’t in the habit of thinking of the feelings of others, but it occurred to him that he was, however unintentionally, causing her quite a bit of pain.  He had admitted to wanting to know everything, and now she was determined to tell him – even if it kept breaking her heart.  She was one of the strongest people that he had ever met, but even she had come close to tears several times already – just this morning.  He didn’t know what else to do, though, so he just tightened his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head while he reviewed what she had already told him.

“So, let me see if I have all of this straight.  You fell in love with, and traveled through time and space with, an immortal alien who could change his body instead of dying.  That is why you have dedicated your adult life to working with extraterrestrials.

“Pretty much, yeah!” said Rose nodding still with her head on his chest.

“And yet you say there is more?” he asked in astonishment. She nodded. “Something even more impossible to believe.”

Rose nodded and finally looked up at him. “Yep.” She tried to keep the mood light. “Hard to imagine, right?”  Then she sighed.  “I completely understand how you feel, Sherlock.  I used to have incomprehensible conversations with the Doctor all of the time.” She patted his hand. “In fact, I distinctly remember telling him early on that every conversation with him went completely mental.  I just never thought that my role would be reversed like this!”  She gave a short laugh. “Ok, let’s do this – and then you can decide, one way or the other.”  She took a deep breath and then continued.  “I don’t have to tell you this, Sherlock, and there is no way that you would ever be able to find out about it on your own.  Therefore, there is absolutely no reason for me to share this with you – ever – except that I want you to know and that I don’t want to keep this secret from you.  It’s that important to me.  Can you understand that?”  Sherlock nodded.  “Good.  Now what do you know about the multiverse theory?”

 

 


	9. Parallel Universe

“Multiverse theory?  Do you mean parallel universes?” ask Sherlock, feeling a bit uneasy about where this was going.  He knew about the theory, but had never had any reason to ever consider it seriously.  “Are you saying that you are from a parallel world?” He asked sharply. 

Damn!  She knew he was brilliant, but …Rose ignored the question for the time being and avoided looking him in the eye- worried at the edge in his tone.  Instead she asked, “At the risk of sounding a bit egotistical, after you first met me, did you get curious? Do any research on me?  Check any records?  Hack into any databases - that kind of thing? 

Sherlock studied her for a minute and then nodded – knowing that she already knew the answer.  “It’s how I found out about the Vitex connection.” 

Rose thought for a minute, “What else did you find out?  Did anything strike you as odd?” 

Sherlock thought back to what had puzzled him several weeks ago and nodded.  “There was very little information about you prior to graduating from private uni abroad and coming back to London five years ago. That’s when the media discovered the “lost Vitex Heiress” - until you joined a private security organization and apparently led such a boring life that the media lost interest.  You had told me about Torchwood by this time, so all of that made sense as a cover story.  However, I did find the lack of information before that as odd – oh, the basic stuff was there like birth records, but not much else.” 

Rose looked down at her hands in her lap.  “I never went to uni.  Hell, I never got even got my A levels (Thanks to my no good boyfriend back then).  That wasn’t unusual, though, on the council estate where I grew up – especially not for a girl whose father had died when she was a baby.  I definitely ended up having an education, however, but it wasn’t in a classroom. Most of it took place in a time and space ship.  And you were right, it wasn’t in this universe - at least not until five years ago, when I became trapped here.”  She had to pause here for a minute to try and check those emotions which had suddenly sharpened into remembered pain.

Sherlock was carefully trying to connect the dots. “So the Doctor…?”

“He is still on the other side – in our original universe – and it is impossible for either of us to cross over again without destroying both universes in the process.” Rose said this calmly and quietly.  She had come to terms with this all a long time ago, but she was surprised to find how much it still hurt to talk about it.  She flicked her eyes up to Sherlock’s briefly and then looked back down.  “Do you want to hear the whole story?”

Sherlock took in her slumped shoulders and her unwillingness to make eye contact.  However, he could tell that it had to do more with sadness and uncertainty – rather than an unwillingness to tell the truth.  Therefore, again, it was causing her pain to tell him something that he technically did not need to know.  However, he also knew that he was going to be selfish and learn all that he could.  He would try to make it up to her later. 

“Yes!” was all that he said.  She nodded, knowing that was going to be his answer.  She got up and went into the kitchen and he realized that she was going to make tea. Sherlock certainly wasn’t well versed in social niceties, but he realized with some guilt that he probably should have offered to do that for her – as a way to ease the path a little for her.  It was too late now, though, so he filed that information away until later because he really did want to learn how to please her. She started speaking while she was still in the kitchen.  She told him about accidently slipping through a crack in the universe while traveling with the Doctor and her best childhood mate and sometime boyfriend, Mickey.  She told him about meeting her parallel parents, about Mickey’s parallel double Ricky, and about the Preachers.  At this point, she returned with the tea and Sherlock interjected.  “Preachers?  That means that you were here during the whole Lumic and the Cybermen situation.”

“Oh, yes! The Doctor, Mickey, and me – along with the Preachers – and my parallel father were the ones that figured out the signal to cancel out the emotional inhibitors and then we destroyed the conversion factory.”

“That was you.” Sherlock breathed.  He didn’t know why he was surprised. “I missed all of it, you know.  I was working undercover for my brother in Africa at the time.”

“That makes sense,” Rose said, allowing herself a short laugh. “Otherwise, I am sure that we would have run into you there.  You would have been right in the middle of things, too!” 

Sherlock nodded, knowing she was right.  “What happened then?” He asked, fascinated, and wanting to know more. 

Rose continued to tell him the story.  She told him about her parallel father being Gemini, how her parallel mother was cyberized, that Mickey decided to stay behind in the universe and lead the Preachers and take care of his grandmother when his double was killed, and that she and the Doctor were eventually able to leave and get back to the original universe.  

“Is your friend Mickey still here?” asked Sherlock thoughtfully. 

Rose looked up at him in surprise.  “Yes, he is.” She said.  “In fact, he lives just two floors down from here.  He can corroborate all of this, of course, if you want to meet him sometime.  However, he is in France this weekend.  Of course, Jake might be home if you want to talk to him.  He lives in the other building, though.” 

“Why on Earth would I want to talk to Jake about this?” asked Sherlock in surprise. 

“He knows the entire story because he lived through it with us,” Rose exclaimed.  “He was one of the original Preachers and is one of the few people in this universe who has met the Doctor and knows my secret. We all saved the world together.”

Sherlock thought about the friendly gay blond man that he had met in the alley that night.  Sherlock remembered noting at the time how fond he had seemed of Rose.  That wasn’t surprising, though, especially if they shared this kind of history.  Plus, he realized that Rose was offering him the opportunity to receive confirmation of her story, if he had a hard time believing what she told him.  He was grateful to her for thinking of it, but he knew that if he couldn’t trust Rose, then he certainly wouldn’t trust someone else.  He didn’t think that would be a problem, though.  He couldn’t believe it, but he was having a much easier time with the concept of a parallel universe than he did with the concept of time travel.  However, he still needed to hear the rest of the story.  He told her as much because there was something he just didn’t understand.

“Tell me more.  You were able to leave the first time, but obviously you came back. Why?” Sherlock said doubtfully.

“Yeah, I did. But not by choice and not with the Doctor,” said Rose sadly. 

She told him about how a simple visit to her mother turned into finding out about the Torchwood in her universe’s Void experiments and the “ghost shifts” that turned out to be Cybermen coming through the void and how she, the Doctor, and her mother ended up captured by that Torchwood.  She told him how Mickey, Jake, and her parallel father (the Director of this Torchwood) had infiltrated that Torchwood to figure out what was happening but how they damaged the dimensional walls in the process. She explained how the Daleks had showed up again from the void because of the dimensional weaknesses and battled with the Cybermen. Finally, she told him about the Doctor’s discovery of the “void stuff” and his plan to suck the Cybermen and the Daleks into the void and seal off the other universe forever.  Then she told him about the one small good thing that had occurred because of all of this – that her mother and her parallel father met and fell in love with each other.  Her mother had decided to stay with him in his universe, but Rose decided to stay with the Doctor in their original one.  Of course, this had not worked out because Rose lost her grip and almost fell into the void herself, except that she was saved at the last minute by her parallel father. The dimensional walls sealed up behind her trapping her on one side and the Doctor on the other with no way back across for either of them.  In the last five years, there had been no contact between them except for one supernova-fueled hologram on a beach in Norway to say goodbye three months after her unplanned arrival in this universe.  After that goodbye, she decided to embrace this universe and make it her true home, rather than her prison.  She accepted Pete as her father and decided to pursue her Torchwood career with a vengeance.  Most of all, she decided to continue to live her life in the “better way” that she had learned from the Doctor – to stand up and do what was right even when no one else did.  However, she had _never_ told this entire story to _anyone_ before.  Not until Sherlock Holmes had entered her life and she had decided not to keep her true self a secret from him.   

Rose then finished her story and sat back, closed her eyes, and waited for the verdict.  She was still physically exhausted and emotionally drained, but she had put it all out there, and knew that no matter what happened, it had been the right thing to do.


	10. Belief

Sherlock sat back, stunned and shocked, but not disbelieving. Rose’s life was so much more complicated and unbelievable than he could ever have imagined – and yet, he did believe it.  Really, how could he not?  He had seen firsthand her knowledge and experience and she had shown him what he once would have considered impossible.  He had monitored her for signs of being untruthful, but she had not shown any.  Her facts and details matched up what he knew about the Lumic/Cybermen situation.  She had told him of her parents’ parallel love story. She had referred him to two other people who could confirm her story (three if you count her father).    Probably most importantly, though, she had put all of her trust into him.  He had no doubts that information like this could destroy her and her family and friends.  He shuddered as he realized what someone powerful - like his brother - could do with such information.  Through no fault or wrongdoing of her own, she had been caught in a cosmic tragedy – and all she wanted him to do was _know_ about it and to _accept_ it.  How could he possibly show her that he did?  He did the only reasonable thing that he could do in the situation in which he found himself.  He kissed her!

Rose’s eyes flew open in surprise as she felt his lips touch hers. His eyes were open and gazing at her, serious both with belief in what she had told him and with intent as to what he wanted now.  He deepened the kiss.  She slid her arms around his neck and pulled him closer returning the kiss both with relief and want.  She closed her eyes and slid her hands down his back pulling him down half on top of her.  They kept kissing and their breathing became more labored.  Their bodies slid down again until they were almost horizontal on the sofa with Sherlock on top. His lips left hers to explore her neck.  The little sound of pleasure she made thrilled him and then her hands slid up under his shirt to trace the hard lines of muscle in his shoulders and back.  He gasped as she touched his bare skin, and his trousers became almost unbearably tight. Even though he was being completely consumed by her, he still was able to retain enough reason to note her uneven breathing and the slight tremble in her limbs. She wanted him, too! He leaned up to look her with a question in his darkened eyes… and then her stomach growled loudly and insistently.  The look in Sherlock’s eyes turned to one of such unexpected surprise so quickly that it made Rose laugh.  The sensual spell that had entwined them both was broken for the moment, and Rose sat up with a small sigh.  “Sorry about that,” she said putting one hand on her belly and the other one softly on his cheek.  “But maybe we should talk first anyway… I still need to know how you feel about all of … this.” She made a vague waving sign with the hand that had been on her belly. 

Sherlock nodded, “You’re probably right.”  He reluctantly pulled himself away from Rose and stood up. “I’m going to change my shirt, and then I’m going to take you to lunch.”  He looked at the time on his phone.  “Well, a late lunch or early dinner, anyways.” 

She raised her head to look at him, “But…” 

 “No _buts_ , I will be right back!”  He kissed her forehead and stood up and walked, albeit a little awkwardly, to the loo – where he took a minute to adjust himself.  The things that woman did to him, he thought, shaking his head.  He should be able to control himself better than this.  She was like an addictive drug, though - and he should know, he thought grimly.  Then it came to him.  He realized how he could repay her trust in him.  He could share some of his secrets with her.  It wouldn’t come close to her level of confidence in him, but it would show her that he trusted her, too. But…what would she think of him if she knew about his weaknesses?  Something wavered in him then, something that he usually kept locked up tight.  Then the darkness threatened to take over – the darkness that had not made an appearance for weeks, not since he had met Rose Tyler.     

Rose stayed on the sofa for a moment, trying to regain control of herself.  She was too attracted to that man and it had been so, so long since she had been intimate with someone.  There was no doubt where all of _that_ had been heading.  Therefore, it was a good thing that they were interrupted, she tried to convince herself.  She was too vulnerable today – more so than she had been in years.  Even though she knew she wanted him regardless, she didn’t ever want to suspect that their first time together had happened just because she had been emotionally compromised.  Plus, they still needed to talk.  She needed to hear him say that he was okay with everything that she had told him.  She knew that he had been trying to reassure her earlier (before they had both gotten carried away), but she needed the words this time.  This was too important to her.  When she felt like she had finally gotten a grip on her hormones, she went to find out what had happened to Sherlock.  That was an awfully long time to just change a shirt.

 


	11. Confessions & Absolution

She found him sitting on the edge of her bed.  He had changed his shirt, but then apparently got lost in thought.  “Sherlock?” she said gently to get his attention.  “Are you okay?”  He looked up at her warily, but didn’t answer.  Had he changed his mind since he left the sofa? She thought frantically.  She sighed and sat down next to him and reached over to take his hand and was taken completely by surprise by the wave of self-loathing that she _felt_ coming from him.  She grabbed his other hand, as well.  “Sherlock, what in the world has happened?” She concentrated on _sending_ him comfort.  He could feel her doing it, he started with surprise, and his eyes locked on to hers.

“How are you doing that?” he whispered hoarsely. 

“It’s my last big secret.”  She said quietly - unsure of his reaction, yet again. She could _feel_ his doubt and uncertainty again.  “Remember how I told you that the TARDIS was sentient?”  He nodded.  “Well, she couldn’t speak like you or I do, but she did communicate with empathy and telepathy. At first, I wasn’t able to really communicate with her at all, but after awhile I could “sense” her - until that day that I lost my first Doctor and Jack.  On that day, I joined my mind to hers in order to try and save the Doctor.  In the process, I picked up a little bit of her abilities.  Since then, I have had increased empathic abilities.  Through touch, I can sense and identify strong emotions and even send some of my own. I was holding your hand and could tell that you were upset, so I wanted to send you some comfort. I was trying to help. That’s all.”   

Sherlock laughed – a laugh without humor, but full of irony.  “Another thing to add to my list of _Amazing Things about Rose Tyler_. You do realize that none of your secrets reflect badly on you, don’t you?  None of them are things that you have done wrong.  There is nothing that anyone could look down at you for.  You have been worried about what I would think about everything you have told me.  However, there was no reason to ever worry because even though all of this has been strange, none of it has been _bad_. There is nothing that could make me think less of you.  If anything, every piece of information that you have given, every story you have told, has even increased my esteem for _you_!”  Rose’s heart soared at the words and his acceptance of her, but the tone worried her.

“Then what is the matter, Sherlock?”  

“I just realized that you’re not going to be able to say the same thing about me!” He finally said, defeatedly.  “I’m not a very good man, Rose.” 

“I think that you are wrong about that.” Rose told him quiet and confidently- still holding his hand. 

“I don’t get along with people very well and I have been called a psychopath.”

She smiled gently stroking the back of his hand with his thumb, “Nah!  Just a sociopath, at most, I would say.” 

“I have blood on my hands, Rose.”

“As do I, Detective,” she replied seriously, "but I can honestly say that it was all done in the defense of myself or someone else – and I am willing to bet that the same is true of you.” 

He nodded, but continued.  “I have an addictive personality and I am prone to darkness.  I require mental stimulation, and usually I try to keep it at bay with investigations and cases.  If I stay busy and interested – then I can fight it.  But if I don’t, if I get bored, if I despair, then I need to find that stimulation somewhere else.  I’ve been known to have a drug problem and it’s not dead – merely sleeping. It could wake up anytime and I assure you that it wouldn’t be pretty.” He looked up at her. 

“How long has it been?” She asked quietly, still stroking his hand.

“Since I’ve used?” He knew what she was asking.  She nodded.  “Not since I met John.” She nodded again. “You don’t seem surprised.” He said. 

“Truth be told, Sherlock, everyone has a weakness, or at least a weak point - something that they are running from - something that they are always fighting against.  You had a pretty close look at all of my baggage today.  No, I didn’t turn to drugs, but I did turn to danger.  Why do you think that I am so good at my job?  I’m a jeopardy-friendly, adrenaline junkie with a nose for trouble, Sherlock, and without that constant high, I just don’t know how low I would get.  I experienced it once, after first being trapped here in this universe and hitting bottom, knowing that I would have to go back to the drudgery of a normal existence again.  I didn’t exist here five years ago, and for a while after arriving, I actually considered making that a true statement again.” Sherlock looked at her closely - recognizing what she was really saying to him.  Her eyes were dark with remembered pain, but then they brightened.  “After a while, though, I found so much to live for, Sherlock – my family, my friends, my job, and a whole universe of beings who could probably use my help in one way or the other.  Plus, there is this gorgeous genius detective hanging around now and I have a feeling that things are going to get even more interesting!  Maybe even interesting enough to keep him out of trouble, too…or into it, as the case may be! ” She smiled, that dazzling tongue touched smile that instantly lifted him out of himself.  He grinned back, his doubts melting away, as he thought about the kinds of trouble that they were going to get into – together! Things were definitely going to be alright with Rose Tyler around! In fact, he may never be bored ever again! 

“I definitely think that I would like that.” He said and her grin grew even wider.

“Good! Let’s go get something to eat first, though, yeah?  I hate getting into trouble on an empty stomach!”  She gave him a quick kiss, grabbed his hand, and pulled him out of the door.


End file.
